There are various types of networks, including infrastructure networks (e.g., the internet, cellular networks, and/or the like), ad-hoc networks, or a combination of both. In the case of the infrastructure network, the user equipment communicates (e.g., transmits and/or receives information) with another user equipment through an access point, such as base station or a wireless access point. In the case of the ad-hoc network, the user equipment communicates directly with another user equipment. Ad hoc networks are also called “proximity services” (ProSe) and/or “device-to-device” (D2D) networks, referring to the wireless direct link(s) between a plurality of user equipment. In the case of ad-hoc, D2D communications, some of the D2D communications may also be controlled by a base station, providing so-called “cellular controlled” D2D communications (which is also referred to as cellular assisted D2D communications). In cellular controlled D2D communications, two devices may be directly linked via a D2D connection, and one or both of the devices may be attached to a base station, such as an enhanced Node B (eNB) base station, to exchange control information with the eNB (or other nodes of the network). Some examples of D2D communication include direct communications in a cluster of proximity devices, autonomous D2D communication in a cellular network, etc.
In a radio communication system, there may be a scenario in which one user equipment (UE) may rely on another node, for example, another user equipment, a bridge, a router, and/or the likes, to communicate with an access point. In such a scenario, the user equipment which relies on another node may be referred to as “a relayed UE”, and the node on which another user equipment relies may be referred to as “a relaying node”. The relaying node may support one or multiple relayed UEs. The relaying node may also act as an access point or cluster header for the relayed UEs to access a radio network. A cluster head may be a UE, or it may be a type of device which has different capabilities from UE.